


Let's Grow Old Together

by soren_berdichev



Series: The Falcon And The Robin [4]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Sister-Sister Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:55:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27695897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soren_berdichev/pseuds/soren_berdichev
Summary: After Silverite Mine debacle and their forced stay as Architect's 'guests', Elissa comes to comfort her depressed friend and sister.
Relationships: Female Cousland/Female Tabris (Dragon Age)
Series: The Falcon And The Robin [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1899730
Kudos: 1





	Let's Grow Old Together

( Early Autumn, 9:31, Dragon, Somewhere in Eastern Amaranthine )

Elissa could hear the muted sob within the pup tent stopping abruptly, as she approached it, walking with deliberate noise and in a deliberately slow pace. After all, the point was to call the occupant’s attention that someone was coming. The Queen of Ferelden herself hated to let people see her cry, and from what she knew about her friend, she had to assume the other one must feel the same.

Better safe than sorry, as they said. Especially when the other one shedded tears because of Elissa’s own mistake.

The wind started to come up since their brief supper time. Shortly afterwards, there was a dense, grey layer of cloud forming in the sky, gradually obscuring the pale moonlight. The bonfire that smoked and crackled in the center of their small camp, now visibly weakened, began to dance with an increased frenzy, as if foreseeing its own demise. Elissa wondered if she would be permitted to enter that small tent before the rain came, or after all, but she couldn’t allow herself to sleep without making an attempt to comfort her friend.

Or perhaps she just wanted to share the tent. Share the other one’s body warmth before full darkness descended upon them all. It sounded so much less altruistic and heroic that way, but no less true. Before she could reach the entrance of the tent, however, there came a crisp female voice.

“Go away!” 

That’s not really unexpected, so Elissa didn’t stop her feet, but pointedly coughed once. The response was immediate, in a markedly less harsh tone, yet still rejecting.

“Leave me alone, _Your Majesty_. I am not you handmaiden anymore, you couldn’t come to pester me at will.”

It’s time to court sympathy, Elissa decided. The rash and inconsiderate decision to appoint the tent’s occupant as her handmaiden would always remain a sore spot in their relationship. True, she had rescued that girl from the dungeon cell of the dreaded Fort Drakon prison. She wanted to keep her new protégé near her, to keep her company, to be her personal companion. At that time, with the showdown at Landsmeet approaching and all uncertainty it brought, such a desire felt natural. But that didn’t give her the right to be condescending and dominating. She should have known that girl hated being condescended or dominated by shemlen noble more than anything else. 

The queen would never be allowed into her former handmaiden’s private world again. Fortunately, Elissa had other identities. Friend, confidante, sister, Warden-Commander. And there was one thing she could count on no matter what: the other girl would always have a soft spot for her. 

“A heavy rain is coming. Our campfire will go out soon. Can you be so cruel to leave me alone out there, cold and afraid?” 

“It can’t be that bad!” The flaps of the tent were abruptly thrown open, as a young elven girl with cropped auburn hair poked her head out of it. She quickly ran her eyes over the sky and the camp before turning her gaze to Elissa. “Hmm, it seems you are telling the truth…” The elf pouted, innocently rolling her eyes. “Still, I have to know your purpose to come under my roof.”

“Warden Commander of Ferelden comes to visit her most trusted sister, Senior Warden Katalina Tabris.” The answer came even more smoothly and readily than Elissa could hope.

Despite her earlier petulance, Katalina chuckled at this. “Ha, now you are teasing me, Ella. How could I be a senior warden after only one month’s service?” Giving Elissa a feignedly accusing gaze, she spoke in a half serious tone. “You know, flattery won’t let you get your way.”

“Why, I am telling the truth. Since you are the first one Duncan tried to recruit, you are most senior of us all, except Alistair. I am depending on you. I trust you more than anyone else. You know that, Kallian, right?” Without waiting an answer, Elissa slid her way into the tent. Instead of trying to stop her, Katalina reached out with both hands, gently helping her sit down on the deerskin rug.

Through the bonfire’s light that slipped into the tent, Elissa could see everything inside were arranged in an orderly way as usual. The elf’s long bow, Falon’Din’s Reach, had already been put into its leather case, leaning against the bag of her spare underwears and socks, along with two cases of arrows, but a faint smell of wax indicated Katalina had kept the bowstring well maintained. Her pair of daggers were placed on each side of pillow, to be grabbed at any instance. “A good sign”, Elissa nodded to herself, as it seemed Katalina still kept her spirit high enough even after the humiliation The Architect gave them. 

It’s only then she felt slender fingers grab the back of her own hand. The same small, warm hand as felt in her first memory. The first memory of her rebirth, after many days’ coma and incessant dreams of wandering the Fade, following the demise of Urthemiel. Under the spring sunlight that seeped through the window, a thin elven girl sat beside her bed, holding her hand, laughing and bursting into tears. 

It’s the same elf’s gasp broke Elissa out of her memory. She turned her head, saw Katalina watch her with concern.

“Oh, sweet Andraste, your hand feels icy cold! What I have done to you, poor dear, keeping you out there!” Katalina exclaimed, putting another hand on Elissa’s palm and rubbing it vigorously, trying to bring some warmth into it. The queen gave her an encouraging smile, which made the elf lower her eyes, as a pretty blush appeared on her cheeks. 

For a few minutes, they just sat there, holding hands together, without a word, listening the breath and feeling the presence of each other, watching the flickering light and shadow produced by the weak bonfire making their last wild dance on the tent wall. Outside, the first raindrops began to fall on the ground. Then the final rhythm was played out, leaving only the dim fluorescence of glowstone to illuminate their little world.

It was Katalina who broke the silence. “I shouldn’t be rude to you earlier, I am sorry.” There was hesitation in her voice. “Just don’t want you to see me like this.” She stopped, Elissa could see she was mustering her courage. “I messed things up, haven’t I? Anders said I am foolish and incompetent, couldn’t see a trap even if people point it to me. You are a far better rogue, but you spent too much time looking after me, that’s the reason you failed to detect the emissary’s trick either. Let him bag everyone. I dragged us all down.” The tears were welling up in her eyes again, but she gritted her teeth and spitted out the remaining words. “I hate him, Ella. I hate him because he is right. Why must he be right? I miss Morrigan and Wynne. If they were there, that arrogant bastard could never capture us.”

“That might be true, but we don’t have Morrigan or Wynne anymore.” Elissa tried to let her voice sound as firm as possible. Despite braving the Joining at the same time, becoming the founding members of new Fereldan Grey Warden together, her elf friend and the young Circle healer were not friends, and likely would never be. “Anders is our only healer, and I couldn’t afford to aggravate Chantry further by conscripting another Circle mage, not immediately after him. Would you rather we have no healer?” The tone of the last words was harsher than Elissa intended, as she could see tears were already sailing down across Katalina’s cheeks. To her relief, the elf didn’t begin to cry, so she decided it’s better to push it through. “Listen carefully. Anders is not your commander, I am. Don’t concern yourself with what he or Oghren say, they could have drunken too much horse piss already. Grey Warden needs them to fight, that’s why they are here. Everything else they say or do are irrelevant. You can’t let anyone with a smart mouth dictate your life.”

Still looking at Katalina’s eyes, Elissa produced a perfumed handkerchief out of her pocket, carefully wiped the elven girl’s tears away. A delicate scent of rose filled the small tent, seeming to make Katalina a little more relaxed. “I couldn’t believe Utha allows you to keep this.” She remarked.

“That hag? I doubt she still needs such things, could be way past that phase, considering her current condition.” Elissa snorted. “To think she, one of us, beats you like a savage. Sooner or later I would make her pay.”

“Please, NO.” To her surprise, Katalina abruptly clasped her wrist. “I don’t hate her. She is dedicated to him. I…admire her conviction. I hope I could still have such drive when I reach her age, _if_ I reach…”

“Don’t say that.” Elissa snapped. Holding Katalina’s waist with one arm, she let the elf lean on her. “We will reach her age and beyond, together. We will keep our faith, together.” She made the effort to emphasize every word. “We will support each other. You and me.”

Whether Katalina was impressed or not, she didn’t show any visible reaction. Instead, she put her face against Elissa’s, whispering in her friend’s ear. “You want to spend the night with me.” Not exactly a demand, but not a question, either. Suddenly Elissa felt the elven girl’s hand resting on her thigh, caressing and stroking, and slowly moving _upward_. 

“Not now, Kallian. Not here.” Trying her best to resist the temptation, Elissa forced herself to look into Katalina’s eyes. “Tomorrow, when we are safely back in Vigil. You could have me then, any way you wish.” With the last word she hastily turned her gaze. The elf’s big, turquoise eyes, like the deepest mountain lakes in a calm summer day. People could be lost in those longing eyes forever before they even notice. Elissa knew she would, if she gazed upon them just a few heartbeats more. 

_No, it’s still too dangerous here, out in the wilds_. She hadn’t forgotten the Shriek attack back in the Blight. That’s why she had ordered everybody must wear their drakeskin shirt and pants all the time in a camp. Tonight, she couldn’t give in. Tomorrow, she would make up for Katalina.

Gently, Elissa took held of the elf’s hand and removed it from her thigh. A quiet sigh was Katalina’s only protest. She kissed Elissa’s cheek, before lying down on the rug and letting Elissa pull the blanket over their bodies. They kissed once more, and Katalina closed her eyes with a contented smile. Within minutes she fell asleep.

Elissa could hear the raindrops hit the tent with more and more urgency. It seemed the heavy rain she predicted was coming, after all, and would last well into next morning, typical for an Amaranthine night in autumn, cold and desolate. But tonight, she would not be alone.

Neither was Katalina.

**Author's Note:**

> Here are Elissa (https://daoce.fandom.com/wiki/Elissa_Theirin) and Katalina (https://daoce.fandom.com/wiki/Katalina_Tabris)'s background info.


End file.
